The Russian foreign ministry believes that the report presented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is marked by a systematic and routine ignorance of any Kiev involvement in sparking the Odessa carnage, while placing all the blame unequivocally with the pro-Russian self-defense forces. The ministry statement remarks that not a single word was said about neo-Nazi elements who engaged in setting buildings on fire with people inside, shooting dead anyone who opposed them and finishing of the wounded in plain sight.
This especially concerns the events taking place in the House of the Trade Unions on May 2.
The foreign ministry believes that such “double standards” are a clear indicator of the international organization’s mission to pander to a select side in the conflict without any regard for hard evidence.
The United Nations spoke on Friday of the “alarming deterioration” of the human rights situation in eastern Ukraine. The report by the organization’s head for human rights, Navi Pillay, focuses also on the problems the Tatar minority currently faces in Crimea.
But Moscow has spotted a number of instances of outright amnesia in Pillay’s monthly report, starting with the burnings and the coordinated murders; the inaction by Ukraine’s law enforcement as well as the multiple arrests of individuals rallying for federalization; the multiple kidnappings and instances of torture, as well as lack of any credible evidence to back up those actions. In this interpretation, “the entire story is basically being delivered as Kiev’s official line would have been.”
The foreign ministry found it peculiar that “in some 30 pages of text, there is not one mention of any manifestation of aggressive nationalism and neo-Nazism in Ukraine.”
However, where Russia felt Pillay really crossed the line is when she outright violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, which clearly dictates that political neutrality must be exhibited whatever the situation. That neutrality went out the window when the human rights commissioner accepted the reality that only in politically-motivated cases should a nation’s right to self-determination be observed. This apparently wasn’t the case for Crimea.
The icing on the cake, in Moscow’s view, could be seen in the venue where the UN findings were presented – and by whom: in Kiev, by the UN secretary-general’s assistant, Ivan Shimonovich, who has a “reputation for a lack of objectivity, making sweeping judgments” and “unsubstantiated claims”.
- Shimonovich’s role in the presentation is seen as “an unambiguous indication” of the OHCHR’s bias and lack of independence and objectivity.
16/5/14
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- UN Report on Ukraine Slams Human Rights in East...
United Nations monitors say violence by anti-government groups in eastern Ukraine is causing an "alarming deterioration" of human rights amid a political crisis between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists.
- U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Friday the U.N. findings also raised deep concern about minorities facing harassment in Crimea, a southern region of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia in March. Neither Kyiv nor its Western allies recognize the annexation.
- Russia said the U.N. report findings were politically motivated and lacked objectivity.
Separatists in the eastern Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk held referendums on self-rule Sunday, after which they declared independent "people's republics" in the two regions. Separatist leaders there have said they will not hold Ukraine's May 25 presidential election in their respective regions.
Separatist leaders in Donetsk say they have asked Moscow to consider formally "absorbing" the region into the Russian Federation, but on Thursday Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry as saying it had not received an official request from the "Donetsk People's Republic" to join Russia.
- Britain and the United States have warned Russia they will issue broader economic sanctions if Moscow tries to disrupt Ukraine's May 25 election.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday he hoped Russia would encourage pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to "work through the process that has now been opened up" -- an apparent reference to "national unity" talks that opened in Kyiv Wednesday, without the separatists' participation. [voanews.com] 16/5/14
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Related:
Unrest in eastern Ukraine risks ‘seriously destabilizing’ entire country. – Ivan Šimonović, UN rights official
The report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the situation in Ukraine is biased and one-sided, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said during the conference of the Security Council, RIA Novosti reports...
Moscow stunned by CoE claims of discrimination against Tatars, Ukrainians in Crimea
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UN report documents “alarming” deterioration in human rights in eastern Ukraine....
ReplyDeleteGENEVA / KYIV (16 May 2014) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Friday that a new UN report produced by her 34-strong monitoring team in Ukraine shows “an alarming deterioration in the human rights situation in the east of the country, as well as serious problems emerging in Crimea, especially in relation to the Crimean Tatars.”
She called on “those with influence on the armed groups responsible for much of the violence in eastern Ukraine to do their utmost to rein in these men who seem bent on tearing the country apart.”
The 36-page report is the second to be produced by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission, based in five Ukrainian cities, since it was deployed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights in March. It covers the period from 2 April to 6 May.
The report makes a number of observations and recommendations relating to the programme of legal reforms under way in the country, including expressing concerns about the “Law on the restoration of the credibility of the judiciary in Ukraine” which entered into force on 10 May.
While noting that many peaceful rallies and demonstrations continue to take place in Ukraine, the report describes “an increasing tendency in some critical urban areas for rallies of opposing groups to be held simultaneously, often leading to violent confrontations.” It also notes “repeated acts of violence against peaceful participants of rallies, mainly those in support of Ukraine’s unity and against the lawlessness in the cities and villages in eastern Ukraine. In most cases, local police did nothing to prevent violence, while in some cases it openly cooperated with the attackers.”
Listing numerous specific examples of targeted killings, torture and beatings, abductions, intimidation and some cases of sexual harassment – mostly carried out by well-organized and well-armed anti-Government groups in the east – the report also draws attention to missing persons, including 83 still unaccounted for after disappearing during the events related to the original “Maidan” protests in Kiev. In the east, there has been a worrying rise in abductions and unlawful detention of journalists, activists, local politicians, representatives of international organizations and members of the military, the report says. While some have subsequently been released, the bodies of a number of others have been dumped in rivers or other areas, and some remain unaccounted for. The problem has been especially marked in and around the town of Slovyansk, in the Donetsk region, with a group called the ‘Slovyansk self-defence unit’ heavily implicated.
The report also notes cases when the State Security Service and army units operating in the east have been accused of killing individuals and of being responsible for forced disappearances. “Security and law enforcement operations must be in line with international standards and guarantee the protection of all individuals at all times,” the report says, adding that “Law enforcement bodies must ensure that all detainees are registered and afforded legal review of the grounds of their detention.”....................http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14606&LangID=E
16/5/14
Confrontations and the military operation in southeast Ukraine have taken 127 lives, Ivan Simonovic, Assistant UN Secretary-General for Human Rights, said citing information from the Ukrainian authorities and civil society activists....
ReplyDeleteHe presented the second report of the UN human rights observation mission in Ukraine at a press conference in Kiev on Friday and said the human rights situation in eastern and southern Ukraine had been significantly aggravated by the operations of armed units.
Simonovic expressed profound concern about the worsening human rights situation in southern and eastern Ukraine and the growing number of armed groups committing illegal acts.
In his words, the mission learned about 112 illegal detentions in southeastern Ukraine and was worried about 49 people, who continued to be kept illegally.
According to Simonovic, abuses of the sort demonstrated a decline in the respect for law and order in those areas of the country.
A growing number of armed people are involved in the protest demonstrations and the accessibility of weapons is mounting, he said.
Simonovic pointed out that the Ukrainian police often failed to do enough for averting clashes.
For instance, it seems that law enforcers contributed to the tragic Odessa events of May 2 and the death of 48 people, the UN official said.
Simonovic called on the Ukrainian authorities to hold an inquiry and to find persons guilty of those murders, as well as to find out why law enforcers were slow and undecided.
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_16/UN-Simonovic-reports-127-deaths-in-clashes-military-operation-in-southeast-Ukraine-7383/
16/5/14
UN Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic believes that law enforcers went beyond the mark during the disorders in Odessa. He emphasizes the need to carry out an impartial investigation of people's deaths.....
ReplyDelete'The deaths of 48 people could have and should have been prevented. An impartial investigation must be carried out to determine who is responsible for the tragedy and why law enforcers exceeded their authority,' Simonovic said at a briefing on Friday.
Several dozens of anti-Maidan activists died in Odessa.......Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_05_16/Peoples-deaths-in-Ukraines-Odessa-could-have-been-prevented-UN-Assistant-Secretary-General-6589/
Μόσχα: Λυπόμαστε που η έκθεση του ΟΗΕ δικαιολογεί τις αιματοχυσίες στη νοτιοανατολική Ουκρανία...
ReplyDeleteΤη βαθιά λύπη του εκφράζει το ρωσικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών για την έκθεση του γραφείου του ύπατου αρμοστή του ΟΗΕ για τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα,η οποία δικαιολογεί τις τιμωρητικές ενέργειες του Κιέβου στη νοτιοανατολική Ουκρανία, αποκρύπτει τους θανάτους αμάχων και επιχειρεί να ρίξει τις ευθύνες για τις παραβιάσεις των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων στις «φιλορωσικές δυνάμεις».
Η νέα έκθεση του ύπατου αρμοστή του ΟΗΕ για τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα, που παρακολουθεί την κατάσταση στην Ουκρανία, καλύπτει τη χρονική περίοδο μεταξύ 2 και 6 Μαΐου και επισημαίνει την αυξανόμενη τάση για «βίαιες συγκρούσεις» στη χώρα. Συγκεκριμένα περιγράφει ότι «σε ορισμένες κρίσιμες αστικές περιοχές παρατηρείται μια αυξανόμενη τάση να πραγματοποιούνται διαδηλώσεις ομάδων που αντιτίθενται στο Κίεβο, οι οποίες συχνά οδηγούν σε βίαιες συγκρούσεις». Επίσης στην έκθεση του ΟΗΕ σημειώνεται ότι «στις περισσότερες περιπτώσεις η τοπική αστυνομία δεν έλαβε κανένα μέτρο για την πρόληψη της βίας, ενώ σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις συνεργάστηκε ανοιχτά με τους επιτιθέμενους».
http://gr.rbth.com/news/2014/05/16/mosxa_lypomaste_poy_i_ekthesi_toy_oie_dikaiologei_ti_aimatoxysie_sti_not_30419.html
16/5/14
UN Report on Ukraine Attempts to Justify Punitive Op on Protesters – Russian Foreign Ministry...
ReplyDeleteThe Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the authors of a United Nations report on Ukraine attempting to justify the punitive operation in the country were carrying out a political to “whitewash” the self-proclaimed authorities in Kiev.
“We are obliged to state that the report has little to do with the overall real situation in Human rights field in Ukraine. The total absence of objectivity, the flagrant irregularities and the ‘double standards’ leave no doubt that the authors have carried out a political order on ‘whitewashing’ the self-declared authorities in Kiev,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said Friday.
“It is deeply regrettable that the report actually justifies the criminal punitive operation in Southeastern Ukraine, and is silent on the victims among civilians, attempting to place the responsibility for human rights violation on the ‘pro-Russian forces,’” Lukashevich added.
The report by the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights commenting on the situation in Crimea was a step back from the United Nations charter endorsing the principles of impartiality and neutrality, Lukashevich said.
“Declaring that the referendum in Crimea was illegal immediately after Kiev and their Western protectors, the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights endorses that fact that they do recognize the embodied in the international pacts on human rights, the right of people to self-determination, only if it is dictated by political conjunctures,” he said...............http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140516/189868652/UN-Report-on-Ukraine-Attempts-to-Justify-Punitive-Op-on.html
16/5/14
Le rapport sur l'Ukraine publié par le Haut-commissariat de l'Onu aux droits de l'Homme vise à "blanchir" les autorités autoproclamées de Kiev qui mènent une opération punitive dans le sud-est du pays, a indiqué vendredi le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères dans un communiqué de son porte-parole Alexandre Loukachevitch...
ReplyDelete"Force est de constater que le rapport a peu en commun avec la situation réelle en matière de droits de l'homme en Ukraine. L'absence totale d'objectivité, des discordances flagrantes et le «deux poids deux mesures» ne laissent aucun doute quant au fait que les auteurs de ce document exécutaient une commande politique visant à «blanchir» les autorités autoproclamées de Kiev", lit-on dans le communiqué.
"Il est regrettable que le rapport justifie de facto l'opération punitive criminelle menée dans le sud-est de l'Ukraine, passe sous silence les victimes civiles et tente de rejeter sur les «forces pro-russes» la responsabilité des violations des droits de l'homme. Et ce, malgré le fait que de nombreuses actions commises par les autorités de Kiev dans le sud-est présentent les caractéristiques de crimes de guerre et de crimes contre l'humanité", a souligné M. Loukachevitch.
http://fr.ria.ru/world/20140516/201229578.html
16/5/14
UN-Bericht klagt Separatisten an...
ReplyDeleteEs sind schwere Vorwürfe, die die UN gegen die bewaffneten Separatisten in der Ostukraine erhebt. Ein 36-seitiger Bericht spricht von "gezielten Tötungen, Folter, Schlägen, Entführungen, Einschüchterung und in einigen Fällen sexuelle Belästigung". Diese Taten seien zum Großteil durch "gut organisierte und gut bewaffnete" Regierungsgegner verübt worden. Insgesamt gebe es eine "alarmierende Verschlechterung" der Menschenrechtslage in der Ostukraine.
Der in Kiew vorgestellte Bericht stützt sich auf Erkenntnisse von UN-Beobachtern im Zeitraum 2. April bis 6. Mai. Darin wird auch festgestellt, dass es durchaus viele friedliche Kundgebungen und Demonstrationen gebe. Die "wiederholten Gewalttaten" gegen Teilnehmer an solchen Veranstaltungen richteten sich vornehmlich aber gegen Befürworter der ukrainischen Einheit. "In vielen Fällen unternahm die lokale Polizei nichts, um die Gewalt zu verhindern, in einigen Fällen unterstützte sie die Angreifer sogar ganz offen", heißt es in dem Bericht. Speziell hervorgehoben werden dabei die Regionen Slawjansk und Donezk.............http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/ostukraine-menschenrechte100.html
16/5/14
70th Anniversary of Crimean Tatar Deportation....
ReplyDeletePress Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
May 16, 2014
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The 70th anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s forcible deportation of more than 230,000 Crimean Tatars from their homeland in Crimea weighs especially on our minds today.
The suffering caused by this mass expulsion is almost inexpressible. Those who survived the horrific transit to Central Asia, the Urals and Siberia faced hunger, disease, and repression on arrival. Nearly half of those deported, mostly women and children, perished between 1944 and 1947. Many Crimean Tatars and their descendants remain in exile today.
For many Crimean Tatars, these abuses are still fresh in their minds and Russia’s occupation and illegal attempt to annex Crimea has reopened old wounds.
The list of human rights abuses committed today in Crimea is long and grows longer with each passing week. Murder, beatings, and the kidnapping of Crimean Tatars and others have become standard fare. Local “authorities” announced that Crimean Tatars will have to vacate their property and give up their land. Crimean Tatars have been assaulted for speaking their language, and Tatar community leader Mustafa Dzhemilev has been banned from returning to his home in Crimea for five years. Thousands of Tatars and others have fled their homes in Crimea, fearful for their safety. Those who remain face a future of repression, discrimination, censorship, limits on freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and the criminalization of dissent.
We commemorate the tragedy of 1944 with heavy hearts, even as we stand in solidarity with Crimean Tatars today against a new threat to their community. We reaffirm our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and our deep commitment to the human rights of all citizens of Ukraine, including those in Crimea.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2014/05/226248.htm
16/5/14